Otherkin, Therian and Alterhuman

Pink Fluffy Cat

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I know these groups have pretty awful reputation due to the Tumblr fad back in 2016 but I still want to hear your opinions about the topic. I would admit myself being one of them anyway and here's my story.

I've been a neko-person even before I've even aware about anime (so no "weeaboo" factors, it has nothing to do with watching anime I swear). As a child, I enjoyed cat-like activities, like getting myself in confined space, meditation, observing little critters/sky/outside world from window. Neko is something that I can truly identify myself with: human but with cat characteristics, not entirely furry/cat-kin but also not entirely human.

I'm a nekogender person, but I don't really have specific pronunciation. I don't really roleplay neither outside shitposting as my kin-ness is more a personal thing. I'm not a part of the community currently for the exactly same reason, for me otherkin is more of a lifestyle than an identity or socializing factors.
 

Cobalt

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJiXRGrZq3c


I've researched therians (people who think they are real world animals, usually wolves, or foxes, or cats or something. I am less familiar with otherkin and alterhumans) before as psychology has always interested me a little bit. From having gone around and lurked on a lot of their forums and pages and things I get the impression that a majority of them are kids and teens that are just doing it for fun and larping and stuff with their friends online and IRL. The other big group seems to be people who see it as more of like a spiritual type of thing or that they only have some degree of animal like behavior that they like to act out. Then there's a minority who honest to god think that they are an animal.

The above documentary is pretty good in my opinion. A lot of the people they interview about it seem eccentric and probably autistic but otherwise pretty chill. This documentary is pretty old though at this point. A lot of the people in it strike me as being more like those wolf kids that were adjacent to emo and furry culture in the 2000s. Whereas nowadays the Tiktok shit seems genuinely unhinged and I've noticed it attracts more trans people and identity issues people way more than the OG therian culture did. Like if kids, hell, even young adults want to go run around in the woods and pretend they are a wolf or something then I don't really care. Like if thats what gets them outside and interested in nature or whatever thats cool. I guess theres just a fine line you have to tread where it doesn't develop into an actual mental issue. When I was in high school there was a girl in my grade who thought she was a cheetah, she just had aspergers and cheetahs were like her special interest or whatever so I often wonder if its the same with a lot of these folks.
 
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Orlando Smooth

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As a child, I enjoyed cat-like activities, like getting myself in confined space, meditation, observing little critters/sky/outside world from window. Neko is something that I can truly identify myself with: human but with cat characteristics, not entirely furry/cat-kin but also not entirely human.
I don't mean to belittle your personal experience or be an asshole, but that's very normal behavior. Especially for children. What you're describing is that you exhibit some normal human behaviors that also happen to parallel cat behaviors - that doesn't make you a cat. If you observe basically any animal, you can see it/them behave in ways that are understandable to a human. Doubly so if it's another mammal: toddler elephants throwing tantrums while the mother is clearly embarrassed, the social dynamics of pack animals like wolves, etc. Hell even caged mice exhibit emotions and social behaviors that are entirely understandable without explanation to any normally functioning person. People think that human behavior and social interactions are entirely unique, but that's simply not the case.

I don't think it's a coincidence that these kind of people rarely come from farms, ranches, or other areas where they'd be exposed to a variety of animal behavior on a daily basis. If they did, they'd intrinsically know that humans are closer to animals that we like to think.

Whereas nowadays the Tiktok shit seems genuinely unhinged and I've noticed it attracts more trans people and identity issues people way more than the OG therian culture did.
TikTok? Unhinged??? Clearly that's not possible.

Like if kids, hell, even young adults want to go run around in the woods and pretend they are a wolf or something then I don't really care. Like if thats what gets them outside and interested in nature or whatever thats cool. I guess theres just a fine line you have to tread where it doesn't develop into an actual mental issue.
Exactly. Cultures and societies all around the world had stories and religious ties to certain animals and such, and people were known to dress up as these animals in order to channel certain energies or in specific ceremonies. This stuff is as old as humanity itself, the difference is knowing that it's not literal. There's a massive difference between kids running around in the woods pretending to be a pack of wolves, and a grown ass adult believing they are a wolf and insisting people address them as such. The identity thing is for real though - dissociation as a coping mechanism is not a new or controversial idea.
 
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VaporwaveHistorian

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A cat raised me and I am not even kidding. She has been there since I was 1 and until I was 18. She took care of me, alerted my parents whenever I was in danger, stayed with me whenever I got sick (also seating herself and purring on my heavy pain areas after my disability, mind you she hates being physically close to humans). She also shielded me with her body and hissed at my mother when she was threatening, etc. I owe her so much.

I thought I was a cat when I was little. I mean, not fully cat but at least part cat. I spent more time with my cat than my parents (both doctors who worked very late). I learnt to mimic cat beavior. I learnt to do something like a purr when I was around 5, and I had cat-like blinking expressions, stretches, sleeping positions, etc.

I don't identify as otherkin or so. I mean, I never thought about it. I have some cat-like behavior still, I guess (besides eating cat food). I consider my old cat a mother, and my other cats as brothers and so (waiting in kitchen for mother to slice some cheese to feed you all in little pieces one by one, etc). I understand why people might identify as non-human creatures. It might feel fitting for them. It's cool.
 
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Cultures and societies all around the world had stories and religious ties to certain animals and such, and people were known to dress up as these animals in order to channel certain energies or in specific ceremonies. This stuff is as old as humanity itself, the difference is knowing that it's not literal.
You have the right idea here but come away with the wrong conclusion. It's not about it being "literal" or not. The fact that the connection between animals, objects, other concepts, + humans has always been a thing in a multitude of forms throughout history only reflects that it's not that weird just because we, broadly speaking, live in a modern society where the human experience is flattened.
viewing this concept through the lens of it being "literal", whatever that means, or "objective", is a viewpoint produced by our current status quo, it does not mean that that is how humanity must be
 
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SolidStateSurvivor

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When I was in high school there was a girl in my grade who thought she was a cheetah, she just had aspergers and cheetahs were like her special interest or whatever so I often wonder if its the same with a lot of these folks.
I swear every high school had at least one girl who would act like a cat and hiss at people lul. In my experience they almost always have some degree of autism/autistic tendencies even if they're not properly diagnosed. That sort of thing seems to be more prevalent in women.

I'm all for spirit animals but integrating their natural behavior into one's real life mannerisms just strikes me as odd.
Knew a girl from university who was really autistic and would act like a dog, barking, wore a collar type choker and a furry tail just to wag it. Shit got really weird when she began to start publicly posting herself in a dog gimp mask and talk about being into pet play. Swear to god I once saw a video of her being "walked" by her "master" on all fours downtown.
 
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Pink Fluffy Cat

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You have the right idea here but come away with the wrong conclusion. It's not about it being "literal" or not. The fact that the connection between animals, objects, other concepts, + humans has always been a thing in a multitude of forms throughout history only reflects that it's not that weird just because we, broadly speaking, live in a modern society where the human experience is flattened.
viewing this concept through the lens of it being "literal", whatever that means, or "objective", is a viewpoint produced by our current status quo, it does not mean that that is how humanity must be
I don't mean to belittle your personal experience or be an asshole, but that's very normal behavior. Especially for children. What you're describing is that you exhibit some normal human behaviors that also happen to parallel cat behaviors - that doesn't make you a cat. If you observe basically any animal, you can see it/them behave in ways that are understandable to a human. Doubly so if it's another mammal: toddler elephants throwing tantrums while the mother is clearly embarrassed, the social dynamics of pack animals like wolves, etc. Hell even caged mice exhibit emotions and social behaviors that are entirely understandable without explanation to any normally functioning person. People think that human behavior and social interactions are entirely unique, but that's simply not the case.

I don't think it's a coincidence that these kind of people rarely come from farms, ranches, or other areas where they'd be exposed to a variety of animal behavior on a daily basis. If they did, they'd intrinsically know that humans are closer to animals that we like to think.


TikTok? Unhinged??? Clearly that's not possible.


Exactly. Cultures and societies all around the world had stories and religious ties to certain animals and such, and people were known to dress up as these animals in order to channel certain energies or in specific ceremonies. This stuff is as old as humanity itself, the difference is knowing that it's not literal. There's a massive difference between kids running around in the woods pretending to be a pack of wolves, and a grown ass adult believing they are a wolf and insisting people address them as such. The identity thing is for real though - dissociation as a coping mechanism is not a new or controversial idea.
nah, I think both point make sense. I'm aware that it isn't convincing to tell random people that you are a cat so I'm not arguing on it.
 

Andy Kaufman

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I'm a frog because I like jumping, ponds and ribbiting.
frogs-boating-lily-leaf-postcard-14358125.jpg.webp

Ever since I saw pepe back in 2009, I felt a deep connection to the frog.
 
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I had a wolf therian phase and even did a spell found on youtube to transform into a werewolf when I was 14, so I could change into a wolf and go walking at night and go howl and sing on my crush's rooftop. I drew myself as various animals as a child, never as a human, maybe because I felt closer to an animal most of my life. First as a rabbit, I think, then as a horse, then a cat, then a wolf in my teenage years, then a lynx, then a cat again, and now... I do it mostly for artistic purposes, I mean, I can draw a hoomin self-portrait no problem. I've long since grown out that phase but I still feel quite a connection to cats, but it's more like a spirit animal thing. I wouldn't identify as cat therian or otherkin.

I don't think any of this is wrong as long as you don't piss off people with it.
 
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The following was part of a LARP and is not indicative of the opinions and behaviors of the posters but remains for archival purposes

I am glad to be normal. Lmao imagine believing you are an animal. This is sooooo comparable to religion.
 
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Jessica3cho雪血⊜青意

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I don't mind people being who they are, having habits and hobbies they want, enjoying themselves and life. I only find issue with it if those things are pushed onto others. If someone is to believe they are otherkin, that is fine, but if they think that others should believe them without meeting that person's standards of evidence then we have crossed a line.
 
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I think it comes down to health. It all seems kinda ridiculous to me, but I'm sure some of my hobbies look ridiculous to other people so that's not a valid objection. There are some behaviors though, that do not support a healthy lifestyle. If someone watches anime 16 hours a day in their parents' basement, consuming nothing but Mountain Dew and Doritos, I'm comfortable condemning them. That's a self-destructive way to live a life, and supporting it is just enabling harmful behavior.

My gut instinct is that believing you're a wolf, or an anime character or something doesn't seem healthy. I'm not a psychiatrist though, so my gut feeling ultimately isn't that meaningful. I don't think this phenomenon is widespread enough that actual psychiatrists have weighed in on it, so until they do, I just have to withhold judgement. There's not really a reason to assume it's harmful other than blind intuition.
 

manpaint

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nekophobic sperglord cyberbullying me.
The following was part of a LARP and is not indicative of the opinions and behaviors of the posters but remains for archival purposes

I can't be nekophobic because I have a cat. Your turn now.
 
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manpaint

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post your cat
cat.png

you are an otherkin tho, you have autism yet think you are a normie.
You are a normiekin OwO
The following was part of a LARP and is not indicative of the opinions and behaviors of the posters but remains for archival purposes

You are mistaken, I roleplay as a normie by the order of someone.
 
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